Can-filling machine.



Nu. 670,l82. Patented Mar. l9, l90l.

E. MANULA.

CAN FILLING MACHINE.

(Applipationfiled Dec. 19, 1900.)

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(N0 Model.)

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No. 670,182. Patented Mar. I9, I901.

E. MANULA. 1

CAN FILLING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1900.;

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(No Model.)

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Patented Mar. l9 l90l. E. MANULA.

CAN FILLING MACHINE.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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lUNiTnn STATES ATENT V FFICE.

ERIK MANULA, OF ASTORIA, OREGON.

CAN-FlLLING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,182, dated March19, 1901.

Application filed December 19, 1900. serial No. 40,423, (No model.)

To otZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERIK MANULA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Astoria, county of Olatsop, State of Oregon, have inventedan Improvement in Can-Filling Machines; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for the filling of canswith salmon and the like where it is desired to distribute the fat andlean portions of the meat in such a manner as to present a neater andmore satisfactory appearance than is possible in the automaticpacking-machines now in use.

It consists,essentially,of an intermittentlyrevolving can feeder, acylinder having therein a series of measures into which the fish ispressed and means by which these measures are successively emptied intothe cans, telescopic tubular jaws into which the fish is fed and bywhich the fish is delivered into said measures, a revolving knife bywhich the fish is cutoff when these measures are filled, and of detailsmore fully to be explained in the following specification andaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the segmental feeding-jaws, takenon the line 56 a; of Fig. i. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal elevation of thesame. Fig. 5 is a front view of a segmental tube. Fig. 6 is an elevationof the rear end. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line y y ofFig. 1. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the forward end. Fig. 9 is alongitudinal elevation, on a reduced scale, of the supporting-frame forthe can-filling machine.

It is well known to canners of salmon that a can filled with the belliesalone will contain too much oil, while a can filled solely with the backwill be too dry; further, that the skin of the fish in the center of thecans is objectionable on account of its untidy appearance when removedfrom the can.

By my device I am able to fill the cans in such a manner that the fatand lean parts of the fish will be properly distributed and the skin ofthe fish placed against the inside of the can, thus obviating thedisadvantages of the machines now commonly in use and providing alabor-saving device of greatly-increased capacity. The fish is first cutinto long strips and fed to the machine in a continuous string or corewith the skin outside and the parts of the belly and back in properproportion.

Having reference to the drawings, A represents a frame suitably inclinedto facilitate the passage of the fish through the machine.

2 is a main axle suitably journaled at 3 and 4 and is operated by thedrivingshaft 5 through the bevel-gearing o.

A circular can-feeder B, having four semicircular openings 7 in itsperiphery, is secured on an axle 8, journaled in supports 9. The cansare delivered into this feeder through an inclined trough 10. ThefeederB is intermittently revolved, so thatits semicircular openings 7 willalternately receive a can from the trough and carry it in line with thespout 11, through which the can receives the fish. This intermittentmovement of the feeder is effected in the following manner: On the endof the main axle 2 is secured a cog-wheel 12, meshing with another cog13, to which latter is fastened a disk 14:. This cog 13 is looselymounted on a short shaft 15. Aspide'r 16 is secured upon thefeeder-shaft 8 and has four slots 17. An arm 18 upon the disk [4 carriesa roller which engages one of these slots with each revolution of thedisk and moves the spider and can-feeder a quarter-turn. The disk has acut-out portion to allow the passage of the projecting points of thespider, and the spider has its sides concaved to fit the periphery ofthe disk, so that the instant the roller leaves either of the slots theopposite side of the disk will engage the spider and the latter will beheld stationary until the roller enters another-slot. A cylinder 0 isalso secured to the axle 8, and therefore intermittently revolved withthe can-feeder B. Within the cylinder are the four measures 19,corresponding in number and position to the peripheral openings carryingthe cans in the feeder B. Into these measures the fish is received andfrom thence delivered through the spout 11 into the cans in a manner tobe shown later. The fish is admitted to these measures through a tube 21in the following manner: Two similar segmental jaws D, forming a tubewhen closed, are pivoted at 23 between the two guideplates 24. On theback of each of these jaws is fastened an arm 25, in which is a slot 26.A second pair of similar segtnental jaws E are adapted to telescopewithin the first pair in the following manner: These jaws E are eachprovided with a thin semicircular sleeve 27, projecting into the jaws D.A projection 28 extends through the slots 26, and a button 29 holds therespective jaws D and E together and permits the latter to slide freelywithin the former. A portion of the inner periphery of these jaws E isprovided with pointed teeth 30, which assist in holding the fish andprojecting it forward into the measures. The fish cut into proper stripsis fed into these jaws through a trough 31. The jaws E shape the fishinto proper form and carry it forward into the-jaws D and thence by thetelescopic action of these sets of jaws into the measure. The jawsintheir reopening permit the sleeves 27 to be withdrawn without anytension on the fish or any drawing of it backward. The opening andclosing of these jaws are caused in the following manner: A three armedrocker 32, pivoted at 33 in the frame, has a roller in one of its arms34, adapted to travel in the groove of a cam 35, which latter is securedupon the main shaft 2. The longest arm of. said rocker is connected by arod 37 to one of the arms 25 of the jaws D, and the shortest arm of saidrocker is connected by a rod 39 to a rocker 40 upon the opposite side ofsaid jaws. To the longest arm of this latter rocker is connected the arm25 of the other jaw D by a rod 42. The rocker 40 is pivoted at 43. Thusthe jaws E and D are operated in unison by the revolution of the cam 35.The telescoping action of said jaws is caused by means of a cam 44 uponthe shaft 2. A two-armed rocker 45 is pivoted at 46. To the longer ofthese arms is secured a roller 48, which travels in the groove of saidcam 44:. The end of this longer arm is connected by a rod 49 with thebutton 29 upon the adjacent jaw E, while the shorter arm is connected bya rod 50 with the shorter of two arms of a rocker 51 upon the oppositeside of the jaws. This rocker 51 is pivoted at 52 and has its longer armconnected by a rod 53 to the opposite button 29. The two arms on therocker45 are provided with slots 54, whereby the stroke of the telescopecan be regulated in length by changing the pivoting of the rods 4.9 and50. Thus the jaws E are made to move in unison to and fro within thejaws D through the operation of the cam 44. As soon as the fish is fullypressed into any one of the measures 19 the revolving circular knife Fsevers the fish at the right moment, and a revolution of the cylinder 0brings the succeeding measure into line with the jaws to be similarlyfilled and severed. This knife F is journaled in the end of an arm 55.The opposite end of this arm is secured upon the shaft 56. The latter issuitably journaled at 57. This shaft carries two loose pulleys 58 and59, fastened to each other. The pulley 58 is connected bya belt 60 witha pulley 61 upon the axle of the circular knife F, and the pulley 59 isconnected by a belt 62 with a pulley 63, secured upon the main axle 2.While a continuous revolution is thus transmitted from the main axle tothe knife, the latter is moved downward at proper intervals in order tocut off the fish in the measure, as previously stated. This verticalmovement of the knife is accomplished in the following manner: Atwoarmed rocker 62L, pivoted at 65 in the frame, has a friction-roller6G in its shorter arm, which travels on the periphery of a cam 67 uponthe main shaft 2. The longer arm of this rocker bears a similar roller,which travels on the periphery of the cam 69, and said longer arm isconnected by a rod 70 to the arm 55, which carries the knife. This rod70 is adjustable in length to regulate the downward scope of the knife.As soon as the fish is thus cut the measure and can-feeder are actuatedto make a quarter-revolution, as previously described, placing anotherempty measure in line with the jaws, bringing a filled measure betweenthe spout 11 and the plunger G, and causing the feeder to convey anempty can from the trough and place it upon a sliding plate H, by whichplate the can is pushed over the spout to receive its charge of fish.This holder is composed of a bottom plate 71 and the standards 72 and73. The standard 72 serves to force the can onto the spout when theholder moves inward, while the standard 73, which fits the exterior ofthe spout, serves to remove the can from the spout when the slidingholder is moved outward. The said holder is guided on the frame by twogibs 74 and is reciprocated by interme diate connections with a cam 75,as follows: A lever 76, centrally pivoted at 77, has a friction-rollerat one end, that travels in the groove of a cam 75 upon the main shaft2, and the other end of this lever is connected by arod 79 to thesliding holder. This holder acts to push the can sufiiciently forwardwhile it is passing the front of the spent in order to insure anentrance thereon and then continues its pressure on the can until thelatter is fully forced on the spout and, after the feeder has stoppedmoving. There upon the plunger G is immediately actuated to move intothe measure, force the fish before it through the spout G into the can,and following therein until the fish is entirely removed from the spout.This spout serves to guide the fish into the can, and its cut-away upperportion permits the air to escape from the can while being filled. Themovement of said plunger G is effected as follows: A long lever 79 ispivoted at one end in the frame A, and its oppo site end is connected bya link 80 to the end of a piston 81, to which the plunger G is attached.A guide 82 serves to steady the movements of these parts. This saidlever 79 carries a friction-roller 83, which travels in the groove of acam 84 upon the main shaft 2. A lever is provided with an adjustable endto regulate the length of the stroke with a plunger, and the piston 81is connected to the link 80 by a split collar 86, by which the positionof the plunger may be adjusted. While the plunger is acting to fill acan an empty measure is being filled from the jaws. As soon as theplunger is removed from the measure the latter, withits can feeder,makes its quarter-revelution, by which a filled can is delivered intothe discharge-chute 87 and an empty can is carried from thefeedingtrough to the spout 11, and thus the action of filling anddischarging is automatically continued.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a can-filling machine of tubular telescoping jawsinto which the fish is delivered, means by which these jaws are actuatedand means by which the fish thus pressed into shape in the jaws isdelivered into the cans.

2. The combination in a can-filling machine of tubular telescoping jawsinto which the fish is delivered and shaped, means by which these jawsare actuated and the fish delivered thence into measures and means bywhich the fish is severed when a measure is filled, and means by whichthe measures are emptied into the cans.

Thecombinationinacan-fillingmachine of tubular telescoping jaws intowhich the fish is delivered and shaped, means by which the jaws areactuated and the fish thence delivered into measures, means for severingthe fish when a measure is filled, and an intermittently-operatingplunger by which the fish is forced from the measures into the cans.

4. In a can-filling machine,the combination of tubular telescoping jawsinto which the fish is fed and shaped, means by which the fish isdelivered into measures, a revolving knife by which the fish is severedwhen a measure is filled, a plunger by which the fish is removed fromthe measures into the cans, and means by which the cans are brought intoposition before the measures.

5. The combination in a can filIing machine of tubular telescoping jawsinto which the fish is fed, means by which these jaws are actuated andthe fish forced forward into measures, a revolving knife by which thefish is severed from the measures, a revolving carrier by which cans arebrought successively in line with a corresponding measure, and means bywhich the fish is delivered from a measure into a can.

6. The combination in a can-filling machine, of means by which the fishis forced into measures carried within a revolving support, a revolvingknife by which the fish is severed from the measures, a revolvingcarrier upon which the cans are delivered and by which they are placedsuccessively before a filled measure, means by which a can is heldagainst the measure while a plunger forces the fish from the measureinto the can, and by which the filled can is then removed, and means bywhich these various parts are actuated intermittently, and in unison.

7. The combination in a can-filling machine of a pair of tubular jaws, asecond pair of tubular jaws having projecting points or teeth on theirinner surfaces, a smooth sleeve projection on each of these jawsslidable within the first set of jaws, means by which these jaws areopened in unison, and into which the fish is fed, and when these jawsareclosed, means by which the second pair is made to telescope withinthe first and carry the fish forward and force it into measures within arevolving support, arevolving knife by which the fish is severed fromthese measures, and means by which the fish is delivered from thesemeasures into the cans.

8. The combination in an automatic canfilling machine of tubulartelescoping jaws into which the fish is fed in a continuous string,means by which these jaws are actuated and the fish forced into measureswithin an inter-mittently-revolvingsupport, a revolving knife movedintermittently to sever the fish from a measure when filled, anintermittently-revolving carrier upon which the cans are received, asliding holder into which the cans are delivered, and by which they aremoved and held against a measure While the fish is being forced from thelatter into the can, aplunger by which this removal of the fish from themeasures is efiected, and means by which the action of the jaws, and theintermittent movements of these various parts are executed in unison.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ERIK MANULA.

Witnesses:

E. G. RocERs, BURR OSBURN.

